How endometriosis opened doors to launching Pump Haircare

When aged 19, Natasha Jay, above, was diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition where the tissue that forms inside the uterus grows outside the pelvic area. Over time, she experienced hair loss – one of the symptoms of the disease – but despite being a trained hairdresser and experimenting with a variety of thickening products in the market, she could not find a suitable solution to her problem. So she went on a mission to create her own product, researching ingredients and working with formulators and in 2012, she launched her own company, Pump Haircare, specialising in a range of volumising hair products.Inside FMCG caught up with Jay about her passion for sustainability, the expansion of Pump Haircare in Australia and abroad and the business’ investment from Anacacia Capital.Inside FMCG: How did endometriosis affect your career as a hairdresser and help you start Pump Haircare?Natasha Jay: I constantly had thin brittle hair and struggled to style it. Being a hairdresser, everyone is looking at your hair and I felt very self-conscious. Hormones and surgery from endometriosis really affect your hair and not many people are aware of the correlation. I had spent a lot of time trying natural products as I was looking to use less chemical-based products and improve my overall health, but struggled to find a natural and professional quality hair care brand that delivered results. Basically, I wanted to create the brand for myself and it expanded from there!Inside FMCG: How is Pump Haircare a sustainable business? NJ: Sustainability is extremely important to me in every aspect of my life and from day one at Pump Haircare, we have tried our best to be sustainable by using eco-friendly post consumer recycled plastic and sugarcane tubes. We use environmentally-friendly packing peanuts to offset our carbon footprint in the warehouse and office. We’ve also purchased 2000 trees in a forest in NSW to offset our carbon footprint even further. Pump Curl and Grow Mask is one of the brand’s most-popular products.Inside FMCG: What made you decide to start using sugarcane bottles last year?NJ: I actually wasn’t aware of sugarcane tubes until we faced a challenge during Covid and couldn’t find any post-consumer recycled plastic bottles as they were all used for hand sanitisers! This got me researching for an alternative and when I learnt that sugarcane tubes had zero carbon footprint, I was ecstatic and made the change instantly. Inside FMCG: How did you grow your business rapidly to now having your products in over 200 salons and available in more than 100 countries?NJ: Social media played a large part in this along with online reviews. Customers loved sharing their results, online, in person and with their hairdressers. We have never had a sales rep so all our salons have reached out to us organically after trying it themselves or seeing results on their clients. Inside FMCG: Last year, you received an investment from Anacacia Capital to expand the business abroad. What are your overseas plans and how are they going? NJ: I was already selling over 50 per cent of my sales internationally B2C prior to receiving investment, so I knew there was a substantial market for Pump Haircare over there. Using the resources and contacts from Anacacia, I was able to sign up some major retailers in both the US, UAE and Europe. We should be hitting the shelves by the end of the year!Inside FMCG: With all the other hair products out there, what sets Pump Haircare apart?NJ: It’s not one thing, in particular; it’s a range of things. I created every Pump product based on finding a solution to a hair problem based on feedback from customers. Significant research goes into every product I make to find the balance between natural and efficacy, from eco-friendly packaging to clean ingredients and personal support for customers from start to finish.Inside FMCG: Tell us about the Pump Curly Girl Method.NJ: The Curly Girl Method is about following a specific routine designed for curly hair. By following this routine and using the Pump Curly Girl range, it can bring back curls that have turned frizzy or straight after years of straightening and bad habits. It involves only washing your hair with silicone-free shampoo no more than once a week, using conditioner to wash your hair any other time with a specific co-wash conditioner and not using heat or drying alcohols for styling. Pump Derma Hair Growth Roller reverses hair thinning.Inside FMCG: What is the Pump Derma Hair Growth Roller? I’ve only seen a similar product for the face but never seen one like it for the scalp. NJ: The Pump Derma Hair Growth Roller is a clinically-tested medical device that reverses thinning, restores your hair’s natural growth cycle and promotes fuller, denser hair growth. Similar to the way a face derma roller produces collagen to the skin, the Pump Derma hair growth roller uses its needles to bring blood flow to the scalp and wake dormant hair follicles. The needles are attached to a wheel and (when rolled over the scalp) cause microscopic wounds that activate the skin’s natural healing response. This results in new hair growth and density. This really changed my hair, especially around the hairline where I noticed the most thinning. Inside FMCG: What’s next for Pump Haircare this year?NJ: We are expanding our ranges with exciting new product launches. This will include hot tools, face and body products along with an exciting new development in the hair loss category so stay tuned!